•Toss calamari in a light dusting of flour, deep fry and set aside.
•Cut salmon in strips and skewer. Let salmon skewers marinate in teriyaki sauce while you sauté vegetables.
•When vegetables are nearly done, cook salmon on grill for just a few minutes on each side.
•Serve salmon skewers and fried calamari atop a bed of sautéed kale and vegetables.

“All our vegetables are from local Skagit Valley farms, and our salmon comes from a Lummi Island fisherman. We’re proud of how we source all our food.”

Willie McWatters

Is Dark Chocolate Good For You?

Is it true? Is dark chocolate really better for you than milk chocolate? It’s February, unofficial chocolate-lovers month, so we decided to find out. Turns out, yes! Here’s why:

■ The more cocoa, the higher the nutritional quality.
■ Milk chocolate has cocoa, but it also has milk solids, sugar and cream, for taste and texture.
■ Dark chocolate contains more cocoa. More cocoa means more good health properties.
■ Cocoa is a rich source of antioxidants, says livestrong.com. It can help lower your blood pressure, increase your “good” cholesterol and make you feel better by increasing serotonin and endorphin levels.
■ Easy now. Only small amounts are good. The University of Michigan recommends eating no more than one ounce per day.

Meri-Jo Borzilleri

Relax and You Help Area Nonprofits

When you soak or get a massage at Bellingham’s Chrysalis Inn & Spa, you’re indirectly helping local charities. Since February 2017, The Chrysalis has donated more than $44,000 through its monthly giving program. The independent business donates one percent of its spa revenues per month to a different nonprofit.

“There are so many deserving nonprofits,” sales and marketing director Chris Caldwell says. “Along with some of the larger ones, we are also discovering many smaller ones that fly under the radar that we hope to bring attention to.”